David Walliams will appear in The Boy in a Dress

David Walliams says he plans to appear in the television adaptation of his partially
autobiographical novel The Boy in a Dress

David Walliams is planning to make an appearance in the television adaptation of his partially autobiographical novel The Boy in a Dress.

"I think I will, but there is not a major part in it for me, so I think I will be in it briefly," he tells Mandrake. The book tells the story of Dennis, a 12-year-old schoolboy, who likes to wear the clothes of his female friends.

Meanwhile, it is surprising how prejudice often informs our ideas of how tall or short people may be. I know of many who still imagine that Michael Portillo would tower over William Hague, for instance, but the opposite is true.

For some reason, David Walliams had got it into his head I would be tiny. “I would see the picture on the column and imagine for some reason, completely prejudicially, that you would be short, but in reality you are probably taller than me,” concedes the lovable Little Britain star at the Walkers Do Us A Flavour launch party, which he co-hosted with Marco Pierre White. Very big of David.

Related Articles

Richard Ingrams, an old boy of Shrewsbury School, took the view that 800 words was long enough for any article in The Oldie.

In the August edition, the first to be edited by his successor Alexander Chancellor, there are contributions from David Cameron’s cousin Sir Ferdinand Mount, who has written three pages about Scottish Independence, and Sir Charles Maclean, who has written two. They are both baronets educated at Alexander’s old school, Eton.

The ancien régime was less excited by this particular story. “Pity the oldies north of the border,” one item in the last edition that Ingrams had edited had begun. “For the past two and a half years, they’ve all been bored into a stupor by the referendum campaign on Scottish independence...”

First place

A piece of Theo Fennell bling awaits the winner of the ladies charity race at Glorious Goodwood tomorrow. However, Tallulah Harlech still won’t be joining her pal Edie Campbell on the starting line.

“Edie is crazy competitive and I have no interest in competing against her,” the daughter of Lady Harlech tells me at a Calvin Klein Jeans and MyTheresa party. “I prefer hanging out with her when it is just us. I like just going riding with her and hanging out happy in the country.”

Edie is aiming to reclaim her title this year after winning the inaugural Magnolia Cup in 2011. The Burberry model is racing to raise money for the charities Best Beginnings and The Reading Agency.